December 12 - 16, 2016

Bears,

Congrats on another great week.  We covered it all - technology, history, instruction and curriculum planning, holiday concert preparations - even a staff night out.

Hour of Code - the students were engaged and having fun

We did our "Hour of Code" on Wednesday.  All 3rd - 5th grade students were able to bring Chromebooks to the gym and participate in a fun activity that enabled them to learn concepts of computer programing through coding and sequencing.  The students had a great time and found the activity to be challenging.  Thanks to Alicia Discepola and Lauren Daigle for putting it together, and thanks to Dr. Pamm Moore and JoAnne Colacurcio for coming and showing their support. 

Learning about Pearl Harbor in Mr. Drewnowski's class

Also on Wednesday, some of our classes took time from their regular learning to research and analyze the events of December 7, 1941.  Teachers, thank you for recognizing with your classes this important date in American history.  Students, great job in being respectful of the content and doing your part to learn about one of our nation's important events.  

One of the final practices before the big show

Plans and preparations were wrapping up this week for our annual Holiday Concert.  Mrs. Rohaly and her students sound - and look - ready.  I can tell you from personal experience that everyone has been working hard.  From my office, I can hear the singers singing and the players playing, and it's wonderful.  To all involved - your hard work will be showcased on Monday night, and your investment of time and energy will make you, the staff, and our whole school proud. Parents and community members, we look forward to seeing you at this festive tradition. 












Check out more pictures below to see what we've been up to.  Be great, do great work, and have a great week!
Mike
"Together, we can.  Together, we will."

Pictures from around the School

Someone is cheesin' pretty hard (the taller one on the left)

Mrs. Gandy showing Mrs. DeVita how to make rocks. Yes, that really is what's happening.

Always something good happening in Mrs. Rowland's media center

A beautiful Bacon sunset

A fun night out with the Bacon staff and families

Guided Reading in Mrs. Lore's room

A learning center with T.O. in Mrs. Lore's room

Working hard in Mrs. Munzenmayer's room

Working hard in Mrs. Munzenmayer's room

Some smiles from Mrs. Klaudi, Mrs. Polof, and Mrs. DeVita 

Hour of Code

Birthday Selfies!

Mr. Lokey celebrating his birthday in style with Mrs. Bingham's class

Weekly overview (be sure to check the official school calendar)

Monday (12/12): C day - lesson plans due, PBIS Tier 2 meeting (10:44 in the conference room), Holiday Concert (7 pm at Bacon)

Tuesday (12/13): D day - Leadership Team Meeting (2 pm at Culver)

Wednesday (12/14): E day - Dare to be Fit (8 am in the gym), Workout Wednesday

Thursday (12/15): A day - Staff meeting (8 am in the library), I&RS meeting

Friday (12/16): B day - Wear Bacon gear, Silly Sock Day

December 5 - 9, 2016

Bears,

PBIS dance party!

Congratulations to all the students who received PAWS UPs in the month of November.  As a school, we passed out over 100 of them.  Students - great job being awesome.  Staff - nice job in keeping your eyes and ears open for great behavior.

Everyone who received a PAWS UP in November was able to participate in a dance party at our PBIS Pep Rally. Let's keep it up in December!  Can we make it a record-setting month?  That would be...great.  And speaking of great...











This week, we revisited something we started the year with - the idea of choosing to be great.  We stressed it early in September at our whole-school assembly with the students, and we kept it going here and there.  Even now, a student will correct me if I say to them, "Have a good day."  Many times, they'll say, "No, I'm going to have a great day."  Using my own words against me - I love it.  They remember better than I do, and I'm thankful they keep me on my toes.

So this week, we took some time to refocus on that idea, and the staff approached it from what we can do as educators and leaders (and if you work with kids, you are a leader - period) to instill greatness first in ourselves and then our students.   At Thursday's staff meeting, we looked at what separates good educators from great educators (we used Todd Whitaker's What Great Teachers Do Differently as our resource - I highly recomment this book to all who are interested in being great in education).  We all can be good, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that.  Good educators get good results.  But what about great educators?

The Bacon staff discussing what separates good from great

Greatness abounds in each of us.  It's already there, but it's missing a few ingredients to be fully realized.  Michelangelo (not the ninja turtle, although he's pretty great, too) said the statue was already in the block of stone, but it was up to the artist to discover it.  But think about it - even though the beautiful art was already there, it took discipline, practice, patience, persistence, and work to refine the skills needed to chip away at the stone and find it.  Something external to the stone was necessary for the stone to give up its internal beauty.  The gifted artist still needed to practice and work hard.  

The same is true for educators.  Sometimes (ok, all the time), it's a matter of putting in the time and effort to cultivate and then release the greatness we already have.  We all can be great.  Do we want to be?  Are we willing (key word) to do whatever it takes to be great?

Let's think big, let's think great, and then let's do great work.  I think we are already on our way, so let's keep it going.

Pictures from around the School

Coats for Kids - the Santa Visit

Time to eat

Bear Bucks store

Mrs. DeVita is ready

Ms. Berry waiting to open shop

Ms. Spanbauer setting up the PBIS Bear Bucks store

PBIS Pep Rally

PBIS dance party!

If Ms. O'Neill was trying to hide, she needs to do a better job

Learning the parts of writing a letter through song

Our friend Anthony caught Mr. Coyle in the hall and insisted on a selfie

Ms. Hess - our new 4th grade teacher.  Welcome back to Bacon!

Birthday Selfies

Weekly overview (be sure to check the official school calendar)

Monday (12/5): C day - lesson plans due, DEAC meeting (3:30 at Culver)

Tuesday (12/6): D day - A Terrific Tuesday

Wednesday (12/7): E day - Dare to be Fit (8 am in the gym), Workout Wednesday, Hour of Code (2 - 3:10 in the gym, 3rd - 5th grade only) 

Thursday (12/8): A day - PBIS events planning committee (8 am in the library)

Friday (12/9): B day - Wear Bacon gear

November 28 - December 2, 2016

Bears,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  It's hard to believe that December begins on Thursday!  Wow - pardon the cliche, but this year is really flying by.

Last week, we welcomed our parents for two nights of parent-teacher conferences.  I'd like to thank the parents that showed up, the staff for being accessible and open to our parents, and our custodial staff for working around all of us during those two important nights.  The book store was open, and we even got to introduce Ms. Jordan Hess to her students' parents. I'd also like to thank the parents who took a few minutes to fill out the parent survey.  We appreciate your feedback!

Our half-day on Wednesday went smoothly, and it was a nice sendoff to our staff and students heading into the four day weekend.  Again, I trust that in whatever way you celebrated the holiday, it was a time of relaxation, catching up with family and friends, reflection, and thankfulness.

We've got a lot going on this week.  Our PBIS Pep Rally is on Tuesday, and we'll be celebrating the students' 1st marking period accomplishments.  Also, the Bear Bucks store will be open for business, and I'm certain our students will be ready to spend their well-earned bucks.  Finally, we have a little surprise for those students who received a PAWS UP during the month of November!

We have a SIP team meeting on Wednesday morning (please note - it's on a Wednesday this month due to the holiday), and we have a staff meeting on Thursday morning.

Important info on the Yankee Candle Sale (and spread the word!)

That's all for now.  Everyone have a great week at RM Bacon Elementary School...where's it always a great day to be a BACON BEAR!!

Pictures from around the School

Friends in Mrs. Lunemann's class

Nurse Pruett saying, "See you Monday!"

Mrs. Digiorgio's class heading out to recess

What is Ms. Spiels up to?

Having fun in gym

Two friends from Mrs. Gandy's class getting lost in the leaves 

Being focused in Mrs. Gandy's class

Working on a newspaper article

Using tech and working hard

Do not disturb!  These guys are in the zone!

She always has a smile and a hug for Mr. Coyle

Helping Mr. Lokey secure the front of the building

Getting it done in Mrs. Pedrick's room 

Bingham's busy bees

Ms. Miletta receiving her book on marriage tips written by the students

Getting a visit from a former Bear

Birthday Selifes!

Weekly overview (be sure to check the official school calendar)

Monday (11/28): C day - lesson plans due 

Tuesday (11/29): D day - PBIS Respect the 29th Pep Rally and Bear Bucks store (9:30 - 10:30 in the gym)

Wednesday (11/30): E day - Dare to be Fit (8 am in the gym), SIP meeting (8 am in the library), Workout Wednesday 

Thursday (12/1): A  day - Staff meeting (8 am in the library), SAM coach visit (1:30)

Friday (12/2): B day - Coats for kids